The Brookhaven leader., 1887-01-06
THE TRAIN WRECKsHs,
Tn the Trial Of Hamilton vossen Turns In
former and Tells the story Of the Wyan-
4.

manner that carried with n the convection
of truth. william Vossen told the story IN
the district court st wEandotte yesterday
how heand George II. Hamiitch and four
otiict Rujahts Of Labor, wrecked MlsspeIi
Pacific train and billed two men Aprll %.
Vossen's testimony is an Important factor
in the trial Of Hamilton and is, in last soout
the strongest evidence that will be prU~
duced. The court room was crowded TO IN
convenience while Vossen was on the stand
and the Jurors listened to his confession
NitS stter:tion and interest VOssen is by
far the Most houest looking Of the six
wreckers and all attempts ts confuse him
were futile. Mrs Ben njarTin Horton, the
wife .. the fireman. was the first witIsess
called and she testified IN a feeling manner
how the disfrured body - her husband
had been brought home for burial
Colonel b. S Mcdonald. of st. Louis. co.,
Quoted the examination for the State, and
aEs-rf testified as follows:
Il am marritf. a,'d hsve lived at 707 Ne
braska avenue. WyandCGtS, srFres last Sep
tember. Before that i lived at t3t4 Bell
street, Kansas City; / am boiler InakGS
by trade, and formerly worked in the Mis-
souri, Pacific shops at Cypress Yards,
which il just a little west of the kaw
river"
nWhht DID rcu leave the employ of the
Missouri Pacific" asFcd Colonel MELON
aid.
II went out on the strike at ten q cthtlf on
TIE morning OF March s, 1876. =
"Do you belong N an organization known
as the Knights Of Labor!
Yes, sir, do
when did you Join the order'"
about a month before the strike com
nenced.'
'Were you q member on the 26th OF
Aprilf'
II was"
! "What lodge did you belong to'"
"DlstfiGt AssPrnblv No. 1Gl.
Were YOU an OittTr Of tho lodgef"
We'll for time ! was httmhet of the
| executive board, of which George ba"''stor
| (pointing out the prisoner was chairman.
"Do you know George Hapilton''
| II doi'
| Colonel Mcdonald asked Vossen to point
| tir' dnt II nc was in the court room, and the
witness lsal,ea l''s fead. forward AID after
surveying the faces II tie itclosurh finally
saw Hamilton. The latter nda hrs. eyes
fastened on the floor, and when Oss""
pointed his finger at him and said in loud
voice. That's the man." Hamilton raised
his eyes to him and then looked away.
The witness then resumed and smd
early Oh tie evening ef April - | went to
the second floor Of the DuilGlfg 81 lt1a West
Sixth street, where our assembly hcld lts
mectitpS ] saw there Hamilton, Lloyd
Leary Geers, Newport, Warner, feany and
Mcnamara. l went ont, Dut came back
near eleven o'clock. We had been in tic
habit Of holding meetings every Saturday
night, but would congregate there on other
hn tf-il
had been received. When l came back,
about eleven o'clock, a man came into the
hall with long gray hair and a slouch hat.
We did not know him at first, and thought
| it was some old fellow who had come up to
stay during the night. Pretty soon, how
| evei. re found out il was George Hamilton,
and we all had laugh over it and went
down stairs and got drink. Hamilton
| took off the wig and nearly ali "f US tried 1t
| on. and had considerable fun with Il. we
| sat in the room and talked for some time,
! several of the boys coming III an out, be-
| tween IiiiStight and one o'clock IN the
| morning think it tVas pSarer one o'clock.
| Hamilton got up and said IT was
about time we were going. said !:
"Whero are you going, b5vs'' and Lloyd
replied: That's all right, you come along
didn't know where they were going, put
! thought would go along anyhow. ABOUT
| one o clock Lloyd, Warner, Newport, Geers,
Leary, Hamilton; Higgins and myself went
down out OF the hall and over the Sixth
street bridge. Here we waited foT fifteen
minutes for some Of them who had stopped
behind We had separated into two parties,
and pretty soon Hamilton came Up, wearing
| the gray wig, slouch hat and ruDGe" coat.
which he said htyilad borrowed. Wecrossed
the Sixth street bridge and at the end the
| whole party came together except higgins
and Warner, who had gone on in front OF US,
| We Wettt ttr alopG the bank Of the kaw
river to point about 10 yards south of the
street car bridge. Lloyd brought 10 to
halt here and said: 'Thisis good place right
here, and we m ght as well begin 1t was
at the curve where the track runs along
| the bank of the river on the side, and there
| is steep bluff on the other. had noticed
| that Newport, who had been walking IN the
rear, was carrying something on his should
er, and when we stopped here be esme up
| with big clawbar Lloyd began to pull
up spike, and | told him not to tear up the
track where the train would run into the
river and surely kill some people. Lloyd's
reply was: 'D-n you, | want TO kill the
whole d-n crew of scabs.' Hamilton said
to me that we had better go up toward the
bridge, and we did so, Hamilton, Lloyd,
Newport and myself being In the party.
We went about seventy-zlre yards and
heard a train coming in the distance, and
then several shots were fired from the
bluff We could see the flash. and from
that we could tell the shots We're directed
at the freight. We had been hiding III the
brush and stuff along the bank and after
hearing the shots, l said that we had better
go home, as they would give the whole
| thing away. Hamilton said about the same
| thing, but Lloyd said: We are going to
do this work if it takes until morning, and
if any Of you weaken you will get bullet
through YOU"
Continuing the witness said: Il did not
see Higgins and Warner after Lloyd and
| Newport went back and commenced pulling
the spikes, and do not know what became
| Of them. In a little while we joined Lloyd
and Newport and went up to the street car
| bridge and crossed over. l saw the spikes
pulled and saw Newport slide the crowbar
| down into the river a little ways of, north
| of the curve. / went home and day or
two afterward, while / was standing in
front of the hall on Sixth street, Hamilton
came up and cautioned me to be on the
lookout, as there were many Plnkerton men
around
| Ex-Governor johnson conducted the
crossexamination of the witness, but with
all his characteristic shrewdness could not
entrap Vossen into making single contra
diction.
I American Naturalists.